Gungi and the Lesson of the Living Force
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: A Wookiee youngling from season 5 undergoes a small test on Kashyyyk to determine how strong his connection to the Living Force is. Short, simple story about the continuation of a youngling's Jedi journey with spiritual themes toward the end.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_ or any of its characters; I just happen to like the younglings from the Gathering and want to have a bit of fun with them.

* * *

**Wookiees and the Living Force**

* * *

He had always wanted to see Kashyyyk again ever since he was brought to the Temple by the Jedi Order. Now, he was getting his chance.

Gungi the Wookiee had been shuttled to the Wookiee home world, where he would go into the dark area of the forest called the Shadowlands with an elder guide guiding him at the beginning, and hunt down and defeat a katarn beast that had been terrorizing the younger Wookiee hunters in the forest, without his lightsaber. This was intended as a test to see if he could become one with the Force in the manner of Wookiees by fulfilling the task in the right way. He was dropped off on the landing platform and met with a proud Wookiee warrior named Tarfful, who was to be his guide. Tarfful filled him in on what the Shadowlands were like, their dangerous wildlife and semi-sentient plants with a life of their own, and the perpetual darkness that made it more difficult to see the dangers.

Before entering the Shadowlands, they were met with a young, adult Wookiee who beckoned to Gungi to come over to him for a moment. Gungi did so. The Wookiee said the following to him:

_"The Shadowlands are fraught with lethal dangers, young one. You will need all your resources and your connection to the Force in order to survive. But there is one thing I can tell you. You are never alone. Even if you become separated from my friend Tarfful, the Living Force will guide you to where you have to go. The Living Force is always present everywhere on Kashyyyk, so it will always be easy to sense its presence. Never forget that."_

Gungi absorbed all this and nodded, smiling at the older Wookiee, and then he and Tarfful were on their way.

* * *

As they began their journey through the forest, Tarfful encouraged Gungi to be mindful not only of the risks with entering the Shadowlands, but his Jedi lessons as well. Tarfful was not a Force-user, but he generally knew how the Jedi conducted their lives, so he had little difficulty reminding Gungi of this.

Soon, Tarfful said that he had to stop, and that Gungi was on his own, but promised that he would hear Gungi if he got in danger too great for him to defeat. The big Wook remained behind at a point where the Wookiee city of Kachirho was still visible if help was needed, and Gungi continued.

The little Wookiee youngling was hoping that the katarn he was looking for would show itself soon, because he was eager to win, and to get out of those dark woods, but after two hours, there was no sign of it, just some of the smaller creatures.

He started to lose patience, until he remembered the lesson he had learned on Ilum when he and five youngling friends were searching for their lightsaber crystals, the lesson about waiting patiently for the ice-cold lake to freeze over before crossing it to get his crystal. He knew that he had to heed that lesson here, too.

Gungi started to do a little walking meditation, remembering a lesson from Master Yoda about the Force:

_"My ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."_

He felt the Force flowing through him, and he began to feel like there was no hurry to find the katarn and defeat it so hastily, and continued to wander, letting the Force guide him to the place said katarn was.

It was said that the katarn was of great importance to Wookiee culture. The Katarns had once ruled Kashyyyk, and had been a danger to the Wookiee population, but the wild ways of the animals had taught the Wookiees their courage and "inner fire," making the carnivores a blessing to the inhabitants of the Wookiee planet.

About one hour later, Gungi came to a clearing where there was a small lake with fish, amphibians, and birds populating the area. Suddenly, an unusually large katarn sprang into the area, frightening away all the other animals. Apparently, it must have sensed Gungi's presence there, because it was hunting for Wookiees more than for its usual prey. Gungi stood in a guarded position, ready to fight.

The katarn charged him, and he dodged it just before it could get him. Over the next couple of minutes, Gungi kept dodging the beast's attacks, sometimes delivering an attack of his own with a punch or a kick. He wasn't sure how to beat it without his lightsaber, but his patience told him to wait until the right answer presented itself.

Then, he remembered another lesson from Master Yoda: _"A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack."_ And then it hit him.

Gungi raised one hand in a slight wave, and used a little bit of easy mind influence on the evidently weak-minded animal, causing it to stop attacking and to submit to him. Then he used more mind influence to fix a problem he had detected in its mind through the Force, a madness that made it extra voracious for a katarn and therefore more dangerous. The katarn started to calm down more and more willingly instead of just through the beast mind trick, and Gungi approached it carefully.

_"You are better now, mighty katarn,"_ he said to it, _"You no longer need to hunt recklessly for the innocent lives of those who don't hunt you. Other Wookiees may hunt you in the future, but this was an anomaly in your mind that the Force has healed. You are free to go now."_

The calmed katarn got up and started to walk, and then to run away. Gungi smiled again, and hoping that he had done the right thing, he let the Force guide him back to Tarfful and Kachirho.

* * *

Upon his return, he was greeted by Masters Yoda and Windu, who had accompanied him to Kashyyyk. _"Did I do the right thing, Masters?"_ he asked after explaining his story, _"Did I pass?"_

"Did the right thing, you did," confirmed Yoda. "While ordinally hunt and kill katarns, Wookiees do, in your case, listen to the voice of the Living Force, you did, and learned of its illness in its mind, and healed it. Heeded my advice to learn and defend, and not attack, you did. Very well done."

"Yes, well done, Initiate Gungi," said Mace, "While you are still a youngling for now, you are one step further on the road to becoming a true Jedi Knight."

Gungi grinned one more time, and shouted a Wookiee roar to the heavens. Several other Wookiees joined with his roar.

But before leaving, Gungi passed by that young adult Wookiee who had advised him about the Living Force, who waved and offered him his own goodbye, _"Well done, Gungi! Today you have learned the greatest lesson a Wookiee can learn; on Kashyyyk, life is always more powerful than death! May the Force be with you!" _He inquired to Yoda who that Wookiee was and if there was something special about him.

"An old friend of mine, young Chewbacca is," said Yoda with a smile and a chuckle, "Very resourceful and clever, he is, and honorable to his core. A legend, I foresee he will be, one day."

Gungi suddenly thought he heard a human voice in his head, a ghostly voice that sounded like it was coming from the Force itself. It said: "Chewbacca the Wookiee was a pupil of mine in the ways of combat, and he will become a great warrior. Indeed, he already has become one. Remember always the Living Force, young Gungi, and the Force will not abandon you in these dark times. The Force will be with you, always. So say I, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn."

Gungi was surprised, to say the least. Yoda and Mace, though, gave no indication that they heard the voice, so he didn't ask them about it. He had heard of Master Qui-Gon, who was something of a maverick Jedi and had died on Naboo fighting a dark warrior of some kind.

"Well, if Master Qui-Gon was so good I can hear him from beyond the grave, maybe someday there'll be some kind of after-existence in the Living Force. I hope so, because I don't ever want to lose my individual connection to the Force."

Gungi continued to muse and contemplate these things as the shuttle they came in took off and ferried them back to Coruscant where he would be honored by the Council for his deeds.


End file.
